Automation compatible servo controllers

[gavino200]

So, I've decided to use Peco track. Also, I'd like to use servo motors to motor the turnouts. Servos are now cheap and tiny, so I'd prefer to just get my own servos than to use giant expensive tortoise motors.

 

The two best commercial suppliers seem to be Tam Vally and Megapoints. Megapoints do seem to have a DCC servo controller. The two questions I need to answer.

 

1. Can I link a system like this to iTrain?

2. Can I find insturctions to just make a servo controller like this myself. Servo controllers are the basis of almost anything in the "make it yourself" electronics world. And if I can, can I connect that to iTrain. Or is there another off the shelf servo controller available that's compatible with iTrain.

 

 

[gavino200]

Looking at how Digikeijs handles a tortoise motor, it looks like it uses the exact same hardware as a kato switch, just with different software settings as per this shot from the ironhorsehobbies video.

 

 

But what's this in the right of the screen? It looks like a Digikeijs unit driving a cheap servo motor directly. What's that? A Digikeijs DR4024 Servo decoder.

 

Could it be that simple? Is that really all I need in order to control Peco turnouts using small cheap servo motors?

[gavino200]

Yep, that'll do it for sure. Based on this video, I bet I'll be able to repurpose my Dr4018 to run servos as well. But probably there's no need. I can use the DR4018 that I already have, for controlling signals. I just won't be able to use my DR4101 Switch machine motor interfaces.

 

So to run the numbers.

A DR4018 at $47 can run 8 turnouts with the aid of 8 DR4101s at $60. That's $13:37 per turnout

 

A DR4024 at $35 dollars runs 4 servos. That seems like it's $8.75 per turnout.

However, it's possible that I may need to use a DR4102 frog polarity interface (I'm not sure). These are $8:50 each. Which would bring the price to $17.

 

But given that the giant green tortoise is $20 and an analog servo can be bought for a little over a dollar, and that they're much smaller, it's sort of a no-brainer.

 

(You can get essentially the same servo from Digikeijs for $10.95 with a fancy new label).

Edited April 2, 2022 by gavino200

[gavino200]

Info on using one of these suckers to operate a Peco turnout can be found in this thread.

 

 

[Dani]

Hello,

 

I'm also using Peco track and I use servo motors with all my switches. I prefer servos better than tortoise or any other "clic-clac" motor. I can regulate speed to make movement look realistic. Here some tips:

 

First of all, this is the type of servo mount I use:

http://www.clubncaldes.com/2012/05/servos-and-servo-mount.html

 

Here you can see how I mount them, you only need a paper clip:

http://www.clubncaldes.com/2014/12/installing-servos-in-peco-turnouts.html

 

And about electronics, I'm using an arduino with a servo motor shield. So with less than 20€ you can manage 8 switches and also feed the switch frog accordingly:

http://www.clubncaldes.com/2017/08/arduino-based-8-servo-modules-with-frog.html

 

The sketch I did myself also uses an Arduino Loconet Shield, but if you are a little bit skilled with programming, you can easily change it to any other protocol or even for analogic operation.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Dani

[gavino200]

17 minutes ago, Dani said:

Hello,

 

I'm also using Peco track and I use servo motors with all my switches. I prefer servos better than tortoise or any other "clic-clac" motor. I can regulate speed to make movement look realistic. Here some tips:

 

First of all, this is the type of servo mount I use:

http://www.clubncaldes.com/2012/05/servos-and-servo-mount.html

 

Here you can see how I mount them, you only need a paper clip:

http://www.clubncaldes.com/2014/12/installing-servos-in-peco-turnouts.html

 

That's awesome! Thanks so much, Dani!

 

 

17 minutes ago, Dani said:

 

And about electronics, I'm using an arduino with a servo motor shield. So with less than 20€ you can manage 8 switches and also feed the switch frog accordingly:

http://www.clubncaldes.com/2017/08/arduino-based-8-servo-modules-with-frog.html

 

The sketch I did myself also uses an Arduino Loconet Shield, but if you are a little bit skilled with programming, you can easily change it to any other protocol or even for analogic operation.

 

I hope this helps!

 

 

I would love to control the servos with an arduino. Unfortunately, I'm doing automation with iTrain which won't interface with arduino. So I think I'll have to use a commercial servo decoder.

[Dani]

28 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

I would love to control the servos with an arduino. Unfortunately, I'm doing automation with iTrain which won't interface with arduino. So I think I'll have to use a commercial servo decoder.

 

In fact it is a Loconet module, so it's compatible with any software. Configuration is done with Rocrail, but you can change it to set it up for instance through the serial monitor. If you are not using Loconet, there are also Arduino interfaces for DCC or any other digital bus, but of course it would need to rebuild the software. 😞

 

[gavino200]

3 minutes ago, Dani said:

 

In fact it is a Loconet module, so it's compatible with any software. Configuration is done with Rocrail, but you can change it to set it up for instance through the serial monitor. If you are not using Loconet, there are also Arduino interfaces for DCC or any other digital bus, but of course it would need to rebuild the software. 😞

 

 

Maybe in a few years. Right now that's out of my reach. Currently I know just enough to sort of know what you're talking about. But that would definitely take me into the forest with no breadcrumb trail.

[Martijn Meerts]

Any servo controllers that support DCC should be useable in iTrain. You just hook those up to your command station and set them up like any other switch decoder. In iTrain the turnouts will get a DCC address, based on the servo controller (if they do DCC, they should have the option to be programmed and have an address set)

 

The Digikeijs servo decoder will be pretty much the same, just like the ESU servo decoder I use is also the same. They all present themselves as standard switch decoders.

 

As for the frog, for optimal running you'd want them to be powered, in which case you do also want polarisation of the frog. You can go for an insulfrog, but you might have issues with especially shorter locos not being able to clear the turnouts at lower speeds.

 

[gavino200]

5 hours ago, Martijn Meerts said:

Any servo controllers that support DCC should be useable in iTrain. You just hook those up to your command station and set them up like any other switch decoder. In iTrain the turnouts will get a DCC address, based on the servo controller (if they do DCC, they should have the option to be programmed and have an address set)

 

The Digikeijs servo decoder will be pretty much the same, just like the ESU servo decoder I use is also the same. They all present themselves as standard switch decoders.

 

As for the frog, for optimal running you'd want them to be powered, in which case you do also want polarisation of the frog. You can go for an insulfrog, but you might have issues with especially shorter locos not being able to clear the turnouts at lower speeds.

 

 

Thanks. Yes, I'm planning to use electrofrogs. So I'll need the frog polarity units from ESU or Digikeijs.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by gavino200

[inobu]

The way in which a person runs their layout will drive the type of switch they should use. Servo switches are good for slower running layout where the trains

are ran at a slower speed and the realistic look and feel is important.

 

Bullet trains run at a faster speed therefore require a faster turning switch. This becomes a larger factor is multiple bullet trains are running at the same time

on shared track. The timing intervals between switch throws and train approaches can weigh in as well.

 

So one has to look at how they run trains to factor in what motor type to use.

 

Inobu

[gavino200]

I'm pretty sure iTrain takes that into account. And when running manually, I don't like to cut it that fine. The servos are plenty fast.